DOHA، 3/12/2012 (IRIN) - In a formal letter to Qatar - host of the 18th conference of the parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - a coalition of 40 NGOs, backed by academics, has called for urgent action on loss and damage caused by climate change. The NGOs have drawn up a framework to help country negotiators address the contentious issue. full report

ABIDJAN، 4/12/2012 (IRIN) - The adoption by Côte d'Ivoire’s parliament of a law on equality between legally married couples has sparked anger, especially among religious people. For them, this law will create more problems in the home than it will solve. full report

DOHA، 5/12/2012 (IRIN) - Discussions about much-needed support for agriculture - which is seen both as a victim and a cause of climate change - at the UN’s climate change conference in Doha have been postponed until next year. full report

MONROVIA، 6/12/2012 (IRIN) - John Tamba teaches mathematics at an elementary school in Paynesville, a Monrovia suburb. He supports four children and his wife with his salary and they live in a small two-room house. full report

FREETOWN، 6/12/2012 (IRIN) - Fishing communities in Sierra Leone have been hit hard by illegal and unregulated fishing off the West African coast. Unsustainable local fishing practices and the activities of foreign trawlers engaged in so-called “pirate fishing” have led to a significant decline in fish stocks in Sierra Leone, environmental groups and local officials say. full report

KOIDU، 6/12/2012 (IRIN) - Sierra Leone’s diamonds fuelled the 1991-2002 civil war, and are now boosting economic growth, but at the same time they are keeping thousands of children out of school. full report

NAIROBI، 6/12/2012 (IRIN) - The African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) 2009, also known as the Kampala Convention, came into force on 6 December; it is the world’s first legally binding instrument to cater specifically to people displaced within their own countries. full report

MONROVIA، 7/12/2012 (IRIN) - Liberia's Drugs Enforcement Agency (DEA) has been trying to crack down on local drug dealers since the civil war ended but there are significant challenges due to weak laws and logistical problems. full report

DHAKA/BANGKOK، 7/12/2012 (IRIN) - In southwestern Bangladesh, recent large-scale water-logging - stagnant flood water that fails to recede - threatens agriculture and public health for years to come. It is a crisis in the making, highlighting the risks slow-onset natural disasters pose to poor countries, and how ill-prepared officials are to respond - even with ample early warning. full report